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[Engi10]

I'm interested in home automation and just sat down this weekend to play with x10 for the very first time.  I grabbed a cm11a (well, the RCA version) and a lamp module and after about an hour had written my own software to communicate with the lamp module using the publicly available x10 serial protocol information.  Having poked around a little bit, it seems like the x10 devices don't support any sort of query functionality.  ie: there is no way to query a lamp module and find out if it is on/off or what level it is currently dimmed to (without explicitly tracking the commands I had sent).  If so, then there would be no way for a freshly started program to be able to derive the current settings within a house. 

Is this a correct analysis?   

The reason I ask is that I am confused by products like x10 compatible thermostats and temperature sensors.  Surely these require the ability to respond to queries in order to provide current setting or temperature information.  Hopefully someone will be able to straight this out for me.

Thanks in advance!

[ArtClark]

There are modules that are Two-Way and you can query the status of these.  As far as the other devices, I can't help there.  Normal lamp and appliance modules cannot be queried.

[Charles Sullivan]

Different types of 2-way modules respond differently.  The X-10 LM14A 2-way Lamp Modules responds to a simple Status_Request with a Status_On or Status_Off signal.  It also responds to an Extended_Status_Request with an Extended_Status_Ack which includes the brightness level and whether or not the lamp switch is turned on.

The Smarthome TempLinc Remote Thermometer responds to a simple Status_Request with a Preset Dim signal which encodes the temperature.

Ordinary 1-way lamp and appliance models like the LM465 and AM486 just receive the signal and do their thing -- you hope! (But they're usually quite reliable if properly set up.)

[Engi10]

Thanks for the information!

Knowing that there are actual 2-way modules is enough to convince me to continue.  I'll have to track down a TempLinc unit now.  I should probably grab a motion sensor as well.  I'm happy to be able to continue this little experiment. 

Thanks again.

[Charles Sullivan]

Thanks for the information!

Knowing that there are actual 2-way modules is enough to convince me to continue.  I'll have to track down a TempLinc unit now.  I should probably grab a motion sensor as well.  I'm happy to be able to continue this little experiment. 

Thanks again.

What OS and programming language are you using?

[Engi10]

Nothing special.  WinXP using plain old C++ and (a not quite up to date) win32 platform SDK. 

[Charles Sullivan]

Nothing special.  WinXP using plain old C++ and (a not quite up to date) win32 platform SDK. 

A lot of software has been written for the CM11A, but if you want to do your own it will at least keep you out of the bars.